Trevor Project Reports Spike In Crisis Calls Due to Transgender Military Ban

I have been on a small hiatus dealing with legislative battles, Pride Month and a growing local group I help run, but I have to speak out again and ask for some common sense to be used around this issue. Please research and understand what hate is doing to our community – it needs to be addressed immediately!

The Trevor Project has released new statistics linking the increase of and the prevalence of calls to their suicide line with the recent anti-transgender rhetoric pushed by 45 and locally, by the Texas Legislature (not all representatives are anti-trans). While the number of calls has increased exponentially, it is no surprise to me really. When you have this nonsense on every news channel and every online source as well as numerous written sources daily, it gets to be almost intolerable. As a cisgender person, it makes me angry and feeds fuel to the fire to keep fighting for equality, even when I become tired. I hear so many trans people cry out that they are fearful and scared of what is to come. They are my friends, my #transfamily, and it is disheartening to think that there are people chosen as leaders of ALL, tearing them down and making them seem like they are less than, or unworthy to exist. This is wholly untrue!

“Trump tweeting his “ban” on transgender people in the military was just absurd, and ridiculous!”

Trump tweeting his “ban” on transgender people in the military was just absurd, and ridiculous! Some of the finest people I know have or are currently serving and have either transitioned while serving or after they served. Think about removing 6000 (estimates from varying surveys range from 6k-15k people) or more people who are actively serving in the military in all sorts of very necessary jobs. Who will take over those roles? Where are their replacements coming from? The repercussions of this type of ban were not well thought out by Trump, obviously since it was a tweet, and even the generals he mentioned speaking to, have said this was not viable action. How laughable is a President that thinks he can tweet and rule the world? Thank goodness we have actual followers of the law and processes of the United States in place to quell his “Twitter Governance”.

(Photo: Ignacio Martinez – Texas Observer)

Recently I went and testified at the Texas Sates Capitol in opposition to Texas SB3, an anti-trans bathroom bill and the opposition was 12 to 1! There were OVER 700 that testified written or orally in opposition, and less that 60 that were actually for this discrimination, and yet the State Affairs Committee passed the bill through with an 8-1 vote to the senate floor. Even there, after hours of debate, the senate passed it to the house in a 21-10 vote along party lines. Currently the bill is stalled in committee in the house because there are representatives that realize Texas has far more pressing issues than where people relieve themselves.

“If you have even the smallest inkling as to how horrible this type of legislature is, please stand up and make your voice heard.”

As we watch and wait in Texas to see if this moves forward, more and more vitriol spews from conservative’s mouths. This is not Christianity; this is bigotry and discrimination on every level, and it needs to stop! If you have even the smallest inkling as to how horrible this type of legislature is, please stand up and make your voice heard. This was not an issue in the past until Dan Patrick started his campaign against the transgender community. This is not about women and children’s safety or the focus would be on criminals, and not where people use the bathroom. This is about targeting a vulnerable community while stirring fear and hate in people for no reason other than that they are different than someone else.

We are better than this people! We fought this fight already in our past as a country and we are still dealing with the scars that have been left behind. We must move forward and realize we are all human and we are all different in some way and that is not a bad thing. This is what makes us unique and amazing. We all deserve respect, dignity and basic human rights; period.

*The Trevor Project is available 24/7/365 for LGBTQ young people who need someone to talk with. Call the Trevor Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386. Text and chat counseling is available from 3-10pm EST every day at www.thetrevorproject.org/help.

Melissa Ballard is a native Texan with a wonderful husband, Ken, transgender teenaged son, Ashur, and a quirky daughter named Kennedy. When not struggling with multiple sclerosis or chasing her husband while cycling for Bike MS, she is advocating for trans kids and their rights. In early 2015 a group was formed as a social connection for local transgender kids and their families and soon after www.dfwtkf.com was born. In just under a year, the social group has grown to more than 100 active members including parents and siblings of trans and gender non-conforming kids. Speaking to others and letting them know they are not alone is one of her greatest goals and will continue to be a focus in the future.